From the archive record
Indian pehlwans workout as they do push-ups with kids on their back. They wrestle on mud field at a akhara in Asola-Fatehpur Beri, Delhi For centuries, farming was the main source of income for the people of Asola-Fatehpur Beri, twin villages in northern India. But in recent times, the men of Asola have managed to completely reinvent themselves – from poor farmers to strong, well-built bodyguards. Today, almost 90 percent of the men from the 50,000-strong village are employed as bouncers at night clubs in nearby cities like New Delhi. In this village, there is not a single boy who does not go to the gym. They are very careful towards their body. No one drinks and no one consumes tobacco. Most boys take up wrestling at a very young age in the hopes of making it to the Olympics. But they alw